Caught Me In Your Grasp
by AeriaGloriis
Summary: I'm used to being able toss men aside.  It's not intentional. I just can't commit, and I don't care easily.  But you… you've got me like no one else could. Grimmruki; Grimm POV
1. Chapter 1

New project :)

Will be very much an AU story.

Will be mostly written in Grimmjow's POV.

Hopefully you'll find it humorous; that's what I was going for.

Anyways, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

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><p>I met this kid the other day.<p>

It was weird how we met; weird and random as shit.

I was walking home from this bar I work at. The weather was right that night; a little cool, cloudless, starry sky, no hobos around; elevated my mood tenfold. I'd had a bad fucking day at work cause this broad threw her gin and tonic at me, _that I fucking made_. I won't get into why she did it; guess some people don't like hearing the truth… about their ugly ass outfit, hair, personality, among other things. Whatever. I speak what's on my mind and don't give two fucks. And she was a bitch.

But anyways, when I saw how sweet the weather was, I had decided I'd go home and sit on the roof a bit. I do that sometimes. Open a beer, bring up my ipod, just fucking let loose and chill. So I had it all planned out. It'd be two when I got home, I'd stay up there till four, be KO'ed by five, up and at 'em in the p.m. by two. It's a jacked up schedule, but it works for me.

So that was the game plan.

But the plan was fucking foiled

I was a quarter mile away from home. I could see the street corner my little shack-like house sits at. As I came up to that street corner I heard a loud thump and a human sounding "oof". I stopped and was immediately on alert - looking around myself; maybe there was a robber or some shit somewhere. I didn't know what to expect and I didn't hear anything else, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement.

What I saw… not the robber I kinda thought it would be.

It was some chick crawling her way out of the bushes of one of my neighbors houses. I had glanced a little ways up and saw a dark, open window on the second story.

I was curious and confused and staring, thinking maybe she actually _was_ a burglar. She wasn't wearing black though. I saw as she got up that she was really small, like really fucking small; maybe five foot nothing, if that. And were those pajamas? I squinted and stared a little harder. Yeah. Hideous red and yellow checkered pajamas.

I couldn't recall any kids in this neighborhood. I didn't know there were any actual families over here, and with teenagers at that. I figured I was watching a sneak out. She had a bundle of what looked like clothes in her arms; a leather jacket was draped over the gross pajamas. I grinned to myself, remembering similar times I'd had, sneaking _into_ some girls house instead of out of mine.

I stopped looking after that, turning to head my way to my own house.

I'd made it to the street corner my house sits at, was at the sidewalk leading to my front door, when I heard a loud "fuck!" come from behind me. I fought the urge to turn, already knowing it was that kid, but curiosity won out.

I looked over my shoulder to see the little chick crouched on the lawn of my neighbor, rifling through the different articles of clothes she'd had in her arms, digging in the pockets of that leather jacket.

I wasn't far enough away from her to not hear her saying "shit shit shit" over and over.

I scoffed to myself. Dumb girl must've forgot something. Not the smartest thing to do when you're sneaking out. You risk getting caught if you go back inside.

I watched her a second longer, about to turn my head and walk up to my door when she stood abruptly and our eyes met.

I was held there a minute, by fuck all knows.

She had soft features and large eyes. It was kind of at a distance, so I couldn't make out details. Just knew she looked young… and hella pale. Her skin kind of glowed underneath the stars and the street light.

I adverted my eyes, feeling weird for staring at the kid so long.

I continued my way up my walkway when she called out to me. I scowled and mentally cursed myself_. Fuck _I just wanted to go inside.

I didn't turn around but I heard hurried footsteps coming my way.

"Excuse me, sir" she had said a little breathlessly. I sighed as I turned.

"Yeah?" I said gruffly, now fully facing her.

The girl came to my sternum; the bottom end of it. She had dark hair of medium length that curled and flipped out once it hit her neck. It was still dark outside, and with the streetlight behind us, her face was kind of shadowed.

"Ah, I'm sorry to bother you so late, but can I use a phone?" She gestures behind herself vaguely. "I forgot mine…" she explained, trailing off.

I nodded to myself, or to her, I don't know, and felt around in my pockets for my cell; my jacket pockets, my jean pockets, the little pocket on the chest of my shirt. "The hell?" I said, feeling around a little more firmly, but it wasn't there. I sighed loudly, picturing in my minds eye where I left it… on a chair in the break room… at work…

I looked back over to the girl to tell her "sorry, I left my fucking phone at work" but she was looking at me with a kind of half smile and a knowing/sympathizing look in her eyes; she interrupted me before the words could leave my mouth.

She waved her hands a little and started back-peddling. "It's okay. Thanks anyway." She'd said, turning and walking the rest of my walkway facing forward.

I frowned to myself and watched her leave. She didn't go back to my neighbors house though, the house where she fell out of the second story window, or whatever the hell it was she'd done. She reached the street corner and turned, like she was leaving the subdivision.

I fought with myself for a few seconds but then I cupped my hands to my mouth and shouted "OI", just as she was about to walk out of sight. She turned back to me and I motioned for her to come over. She hurried back and I waited with hands deep in my pockets, looking at the cloudless sky and realizing that I probably wasn't gonna be able to enjoy the stars like I thought I'd do. Weirdly enough though, I almost didn't care.

She was walking up the walkway to my house again. "You found your cell?" she immediately asked once she reached me.

"Nah." I motioned behind me to my home. "But I got a house phone. You can use that if you want."

I figured she'd be a little skittish about going into a strangers home, to use a phone or not, but her face kind of lit up and she nodded and thanked me again.

I led her into my house without another word.

Once we were inside I flipped a light on and put my back to her as I searched for the stupid phone.

"Alright" I said. "Gimme two seconds so I can find the damn thing." She might've said "okay" but I didn't hear, and she might've nodded but I didn't see. I pushed the locate button on the base to find the handset, listening to it ring but unable to fucking _find_ it. Three minutes later, after a lot of swearing and muttering, I found it wedged in the couch cushions.

I pressed the silence button as I walked over to where she'd stayed by the door. My eyes locked with hers as I handed the phone over.

They were purple.

Weird eye color. But then again, who am I to say that?

I sat at the far end of the couch as she made her call. At first I felt like I should walk out the room so it wasn't so blatantly obvious that I was listening, but then I was like, fuck it. It's my damn phone anyways and she was messing up my schedule and night all to hell; I had a right to listen.

The one-sided phone call went something like this:

"Hello?"

"Hey, yeah, it's me. I need a fav."

"I need you to come pick me up."

"What? No. I'm at one of his neighbors and I'm using his phone. A little house across the street."

I scowled at the word "little". My house is little, but don't state the obvious and don't talk about my shit.

She glanced over at me and her mouth quirked up a bit on the side. "Yeah, that nice little house across the street." She said. I scoffed and looked away. Doesn't make it better…

Her conversation continued another minute

"No. I don't"

"Shut up. I knew you'd be awake."

"Nope"

She glanced at me again and shrugged. "Meh. He seems nice enough."

When she looked away from me, I quirked a questioning eyebrow up. He seems nice enough? Really? Did the girl have no goddamn brains? I'm a stranger and she don't know shit about me. I had shaken my head subtly. Dumbass girls gonna get herself fucked up one day with that kind of naivety.

She listened for a second, then sighed. "Stop mothering me."

"Alright. Okay. No, I'll see you when you get here."

"What? I don't know! I'll see you… I'm hanging up… Bye…" She dropped the phone from her ear.

She was scowling softly when the phone call ended and she was looking down at her hands. It was a full almost thirty seconds before she acknowledged me. She walked over to where I sat and handed me the phone.

"Thanks again."

"No problem."

I seriously thought she'd leave after that. I was waiting on it yet kinda not waiting on it, if that makes any sense. But she continued to stand off to my side and I was about to be like "what the hell else do you want?" when she turned to me again. She bit her lip.

"Look. I'm sorry for being a pain in the ass, but can I wait here for my ride? They said they'd be here in thirty. I don't really want to wait outside. But I will if I'm being a nuisance."

I looked away from her and shrugged. "Do what you want. I was gonna be up a bit anyways"

She thanked me, for like the fourth time, and I just grunted my acknowledgement.

She went and sat on the other end of the couch, just one cushion separating us, and sat in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't comfortable either, and my mouth was opening before I could stop it.

"So… Adventurous night planned?"

She looked over at me out of her peripheral, but I could see the side of her mouth go up a little.

"Not really. I was just spending the night with my boyfriend."

My eyebrow went up. "Oh. So that's who your ride is gonna take you to?"

She turned to me fully now. Her brows furrowed. "Um, no. I just came from his house."

"From across the street?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah. Your neighbor. Spiky black hair, facial tattoos, tall." she spouted out, looking at me in surprise. None of it rang a bell, and I noticed she didn't give me a name. Didn't matter; I wouldn't have known who he was. I shrugged.

"I don't know my neighbors foreal." I said, leaning back into the couch cushions.

"Ah." she said in understanding.

We sat in silence for another five minutes and she never tried to break it, but something was nagging at me.

"Oi" I got her attention. "You said you just came from your boyfriends house…" I trailed off, sort of asking. She nodded that I was right. "Why were you sneaking back out?"

She looked at me with a neutral expression for a second, but then a smirk appeared and it became playful.

"Questions, questions." She tilted her head. "Why so many questions?"

I had scowled and told her she was sitting in my house and it was - (glance at the clock) - 2:45, _in the morning_. I could ask her whatever I damn well pleased. She laughed at that.

"Fair enough. I was actually trying to break up with him, but I couldn't figure out how to say it. He fell asleep and I didn't want to wake him up, so I left." she shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess he'll figure it out when he sees I'm not there in the morning."

I was kind of shocked cause that's a shitty way to break it off with someone and I told her so. "Wow. That's kind of fucked up, kid."

She shrugged again, with raised brows and pursed lips. "Is it?"

"Yeah, it pretty much is."

Another non-caring shrug. "I guess."

We were silent for maybe another five, but I was feeling chatty, so I said fuck it.

"Your parents know you sneak out?"

She quickly looked over to me from her side of the couch. Her purple eyes narrowed in confusion.

"I didn't sneak out of anywhere, except when I left my boyfriends house." she said slowly. I opened my mouth to correct her, on that whole boyfriend thing, but then she interrupted me. "Er, ex-boyfriend, I mean." she rushed. "And I'm not sure why you think my parents would care. I'm grown." she finished, somewhat wryly.

"Tch. Alright. Whatever." I scoffed. I remember doing the whole "I'm grown" bit when I was younger. Truth be told, I didn't know the meaning of being grown till I was paying my own bills and taking care of my own needs and shit. But whatever. She'll learn.

We were back to silence but I didn't have nothing else to say. It was weird though, how I wanted the conversation to keep flowing. I'm not like that, not talkative or chatty, but for some reason I was that night. I settled for watching her out the corner of my eye.

Kami. Those pajamas were so ugly. The colors were at least, and they clashed really horribly. They were like little kid pajama style too, with a long sleeved button down shirt and long bottoms. The leather jacket she wore was stylish though; its cross-side zipper and the fur trimming along the collar were okay, I guess.

She sat on my couch cross-legged with feet tucked underneath herself. Her elbow was propped up on the arm rest and she rested her head in her upturned palm. The pile of clothes she'd had with her sat in her lap. Those purple eyes wandered to this and that but I don't have shit in my house. Like literally nothing.

"So, you live alone?" She asked after awhile. It was more a question than a statement. I was about to tell her that _I'd_ be the one asking questions, me alone, but I decided to humor her. I dunno; I guess I was feeling damn socialable.

"No, I don't."

She looked over at me. "Oh?" Her voice went a little quieter. "I hope we're not disturbing your roommate."

I grinned. I couldn't help it. "Nah. He may not be nocturnal, but he's up most of the night."

She looked at me strangely after that and I wanted to laugh, but I stopped myself. "So he's a night owl?"

I nodded to myself. It was sort of an accurate description. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." I'd toned my grin down to a smirk, but it was still funny, especially her expression.

"Wha-" She was about to say something, but I raised a hand to cut her off.

There was a newspaper on my cluttered coffee table directly in front of the couch we sat at. I reached for it and turned to her, raising a brow and putting a finger to my lips. She looked at me even more strangely and it vaguely crossed my mind that I was probably acting pretty fucking creepy. But she wasn't sprinting from my house and running for the hills; just sat there, looking curious confused and intrigued. I kept the smirk to myself that time.

I took the newspaper, unfolded it and started crinkling it up loudly; balling it up as hard as I could.

It was faint, but after a second there was a squealing heard. It got louder and louder the longer I crinkled the paper.

The girl sat up from her slumped position in her seat and stared at me, then looked all around the room; her amethyst eyes bright, like she already knew what was going on.

"Where is he?" she said, craning her neck to look around more of my living room. "I don't see…"

I stopped fooling with the paper and put it down, but the squealing continued for a bit longer. I turned around in the couch and jerked a thumb back to where the sound had come from; a small table in the back corner of the room. "He's back there."

She was already out of her seat. "Can I?" she asked, already halfway across the room.

"Do whatever." I muttered, getting up myself and pretty sure she hadn't even waited to hear my response.

I was right. She already had him out and was cooing over him when I walked up behind her. She held my pet guinea pig up to her face, petted on his head and stroked his back. Dude is a pretty docile and chill guinea pig; he hardly moved the whole time she held him.

"What's his name?" she'd asked, moving him up to her shoulder as she continued to stroke his back.

"Thunder Cat."

She choked on her laugh and looked back at me as I leaned my weight against the back of the couch. "No, seriously." She said it as if she knew I was joking.

"Usagi."

She smiled. "Are you sure?" she had asked, looking at me like she expected me to be joking again.

I scratched at the back of my neck, slightly uncomfortable with her bright smile focused on me. "Yeah, his name's Usagi."

She looked back down to my "roommate". "Well, Usagi is really cute. I've always loved guinea pigs." she said as softly scratched behind his ears. She glanced back over to me, looking at me from under her lashes. "I didn't know they could get so loud, though."

I smirked. "Yeah, I hadn't either before I got 'em. But he's a fatass. Every time he hears paper rustling or bags crinkling, he thinks it's dinner time. See?"

I stepped forward and reached around her to a bag next to the cage. I gently rustled the bag of pellets and Usagi started squealing right there in her arms. For some reason that seemed to freakin' delight her and she started squealing along with him, crying over his "adorableness" and wondering out loud if I fed him regularly. I told her I did, and would she look at his food bowl, the damn thing was half full.

As she reached in his bowl and fed him a pellet, there was a car horn heard from outside. She walked over to my window and looked out. When she headed back over to me there was a slight crease in her brow and mouth was down-turned the slightest bit, like she was pouting. "My ride's here." she said slowly, disappointedly.

Her disappointment… I don't know if it was because she was leaving all together or because she liked holding Usagi. I don't know what it was for, but knowing that she _was _disappointed about her ride being there made me feel kinda, well, I dunno. It made me feel something.

She handed Usagi over to me. Her hands looked so much smaller than mine. They grazed my own as she put him in my cupped palms and I could feel that they weren't as soft as they looked.

She bent over my cupped hands and rubbed his head. "Bye Usagi." she cooed. She went over to the couch and gathered her bundle of clothes and headed to the door. As she turned the knob she looked back to me. "And bye…you." she said and frowned down to her feet. She looked back up, crease in her brows still present. "Actually, what is your name?"

"It's Grimmjow." I said, eyes locked with hers.

She nodded. "Alright. Bye Grimmjow."

"Yeah. See ya, kid."

She was halfway out the open door when she turned back, a full-on scowl on her face. "That's the second or third time you've called me kid. Stop doing that." she scolded.

"Tch." I had scoffed and said nothing and her eyes narrowed at me.

"Anyways, bye." she said again, in a low, sort of mad voice and shut the door behind her.

"Yeah, whatever, kid." I'd said to an empty room, minus Usagi, of course. I looked down the animal in my hands and realized he'd shited in my palms. I got pissed. I dropped him and his shit in the cage and reprimanded him, if you can do that with a guinea pig.

I was pretty ticked off then and looked at the clock. It was 3:20. Fuck it, I'd thought, and went to bed.

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><p>AN: I know a lot of this going to seem random. Sorry.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

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><p>Work is hell tonight. Fucking hell.<p>

I'm working the bar, as usual, but I'm over here _by myself_. And the place is packed, like jam fucking packed. A free concert we held a while ago just let out but for some reason _no one's leaving_. They're just sitting around, taking up space, ordering a million and one drinks. Drunk bastards. I hope they all get behind the wheel tonight.

After about another thirty, there's a lull in the traffic. Only about eight people sit at the bar now and no one's bothering me or on my fucking nerves at the moment, thank Kami.

I take a second to look around me at the bar's patrons. A lot of the people I see on the regular.

Kenpachi sits at a corner booth with his two drinking buddies, Madarame and Ayasegawa. They're here at least three nights a week; raising hell and raising skirts. We've had to kick the three of them out on a couple occasions. The waitresses don't like to be harassed.

One of our veteran drinkers, Matsumoto Rangiku, sits a few seats away from me at the bar. She's got a few friends with her this time; a tall, dark skinned, blonde haired chick and tall, green-blue haired chick. All three of them have G cup sized tits. I shake my head. Girls be going crazy with the implants now days.

Me and Rangiku actually dated for a bit. She's a fun girl, but not what I was looking for. Our time together was hot, sweaty and sexy, but I had to break it off. Believe it or not, that's not the only thing I look for in a relationship. Can't say the same for Ran. Conflict of interest; it was never gonna work out. We're still cool though. She catches my eye as I turn my head to look away. She winks at me and blows me a kiss. I catch it and pretend put it in in my pocket, grinning at her. She rolls her eyes at me and waves me off, focusing her attention back to her big breasted friends.

I sigh and busy myself by wiping down the counter as I look around me a little more. At the far end of the room, I catch a spiky ponytail of red hair and spiked up orange hair; the colors are just as outrageous and outlandish as my own blue locks. Abarai is here with his faggot friend Ichigo.

It's a joke actually; an inside one. I don't really think he's a fag. Abarai and Kurosaki are both actually pretty cool. My closest friends, I guess you could say, if you wanna call 'em that. Kurosaki sees me looking their way and he heads over, Abarai in tow.

"Yo." That's Kurosaki. He always greets like that. Abarai just jerks his head up in silent greeting, holding out a hand for me to slap and grasp. When the formalities and salutations and shit are over they take seats at the rapidly emptying bar, across from Ran and the Six Huge Tits over there.

It's quiet for a bit. Just the sound of the surround sound of the speakers for the many flat screens, Ran and her friends raucous laughter, and more talking coming from across the way is all I hear. Okay, so maybe it's not too quiet, but business is dying down.

It must be close to two now. We close at three tonight. I'm here till close. Fucking sucks.

A loud "Oi." interrupts my silent sulking and I look up to see Abarai motioning me over. I hadn't even realized I'd walked off. I head over, a scowl on my face cause I am so damn tired.

"What?" I say, rather rudely, but they're used to my attitude. They know I hate this job.

Abarai leans in across the counter and proceeds to sneakily whisper to me to sneak him a drink, fucking loudly, I might add.

I sigh and glance around me, already knowing the manager will be nowhere in sight. I turn back to Abarai.

"Alright, fine. But next time, how bout you not shout that shit out loud, dumbass." Renji just brushes off me calling him a dumbass and thanks me. I turn to Kurosaki.

"What about you?"

He glances to Renji, who is staring at the beer and hard liquor across from me like a man dying from thirst in a desert. He shakes his head.

"Nah. I gotta drive… and make sure I get him" he jerks his head in Abarai's direction "back home in one piece."

I give a smirk, probably more of a sneer. "Ever the responsible one, ain't you Kurosaki?"

I walk off to retrieve Renji his drink, hearing Kurosaki's shout of "Who the fuck else would be?" behind my back. I nod to myself. He's right. Who the fuck else?

I hand Renji a cup of bourbon, straight, knowing that's how he likes his drinks. He downs it in like five seconds. I glance to Kurosaki. He just mouths "rough day" to me. I immediately get it. Abarai is a factory worker with Satan as his boss. I hand him another drink, a sympathy one, which he promptly downs. I don't worry about him getting smashed, which is sure to happen with the rate at which he's throwing them back. I know Kurosaki will take care of him… The fucking fairy.

Another ten minutes creep by, like really fucking creep by. Time is moving so goddamn slow that I take double takes every time I look at the clock, just knowing that more than two minutes passed by since my last glance, when in fact, more hadn't.

A slap on my shoulder jerks me from wherever the hell my mind had wandered to.

I look up to see Jiruga looming over me and leering at what's across from me, to Ran and her friends with the outrageous assets. I have to stop myself from throwing a punch at the guys face. He didn't do anything to me. It's some weird, knee-jerk reaction I have to him. I always just feel like I wanna punch the fuck outta the guy. Goddamn creepy, ever-present grin is probably why.

"Oi, Jaegerjaques. Why don't cha take a fifteen minute. I'll cover ya." he says, eyes lingering on the girls.

I nod and toss him the towel I was wiping the bar down with. I refrain from asking him where the hell he was when we were swamped with people not forty-five minutes ago, but it's whatever.

I cast a wearying and cautionary glance Ran's way. She immediately catches on. I walk out, knowing I won't have to worry about her and her attention attracting friends. I've seen her fend off horny guys bigger than Jiruga. Yeah she did it, and yes, it was awesome.

I walk around and out those little shutter looking partition things. Kurosaki turns to me as I pass him.

"Break?" he asks.

"Yeah."

"I'll come with."

He gets up and I was about to tell him I don't need a damn babysitter, and his sitting job right now is that red head slumped over the counter with his eyes closed, but I stop myself. I honestly wouldn't mind the company.

We head out the front door and walk down from the entrance a bit. We stop about fifteen feet from the door and the bouncer waiting to stamp everyone's hand. Kurosaki pulls his phone from his pocket and starts texting or tweeting away. The wind blows at my hair and I realize how nice it feels outside tonight. Just like last night…

Last night…

Honestly one of the more random nights of my life. And I've had some pretty awesome and random nights in my day.

The kids face pops into my head. Big, doe-ass, bright eyes of hers, with that crazy coloring. Small nose and short forehead, with that stiff and out of place bang hanging down the middle. Her mouth… slightly shapely lips, a light pink in color… smiling at me from across the couch.

I thought about her this morning. I had fed Usagi and gave him more water and remembered how she thought I was starving the fatass. I had glanced out my window and saw the house across the street, saw how the bushes underneath that second story window looked flattened, and I laughed and thought about the girl. I had wondered if she'd made it to wherever the hell she was going. I had wondered if she would go back for that cellphone she must've left at my neighbors house. I'd wondered if she had called and "officially" broke up with that boyfriend of hers whose window she all but fell out of.

Then after a while, I wondered to myself. Really, why does it matter? Who the hell cares? Certainly I didn't; still don't. Shouldn't.

"Oi. Blue space cadet." Kurosaki waves a hand in front of my face.

I scowl and shove him back. He laughs.

"Where were you for a second? I called and poked at you. You didn't even move."

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about." I scoff. "And don't say you poked at me; sounds wrong as hell."

Kurosaki grins. "Heh. Guess you're right. Anyway, your break's about over." he says, waving his fancy phone in my face.

I shrug and lean back against the building. "Jiruga can hold down the fort a bit longer. The bastard's been Kami knows where for the better part of the night, leaving me by myself and shit."

Kurosaki just shrugs too, leaning back against wall with me.

"You guys are short of help here, aren't you?" he asks, glancing to me from the side. "You know Renji is looking for a new job."

I shake my head. "Nah. Abarai would never get anything accomplished. All that alcohol staring him in the face all day. We ain't really looking for help right now though anyways."

Kurosaki looks sad for a second, then nods to himself and says "yeah".

I waste another ten minutes outside talking to Kurosaki about nothing in particular. Food. Sports; football specifically. Girls. Life.

As I was listening to him tell me something about… something ( I dunno, I'd zoned out by then), I saw something vaguely familiar by the door.

Some_one,_ not some_thing_, was at the door, trying to get in.

They were short. Damned fucking short; like five foot nothing. It was a chick, I saw. Had one of those knitted cap things that girls are wearing these days. It's dark outside so I can't tell the color of the hair, but I can see it spilling out around that knitted cap thingy.

"Oi! Fucking blue space cadet."

The shout came close to my head.

"Goddammit! What?" I shouted back, annoyed and secretly startled.

Kurosaki peers at me curiously. "Dude. You're hardcore spacing out tonight. Want me and Renji to drop you off after you get off?"

I scowl at his sincere expression.

"I'm not spacing out nowhere." I grumble. "And, the hell do you mean do I want you guys to drop me off? You know I do. The walk is too freaking long. I wouldn't get home till four if you don't."

Kurosaki, Mr. Responsibility and Mr. Nice Guy, says it's no big thing and of course he'd do it. Thank Kami for queers like Kurosaki; volunteering themselves up for good deeds and shit.

We walk back in and I take my spot next to Jiruga at the bar. The notably more empty bar. I look around and see Rangiku and her troop of large chested friends seated at a nearby table. She catches my eye like earlier and gives me a highly annoyed expression and her eyes slide over to Jiruga. I shrug my shoulders and raise my hands in a kind of "what can I do? I warned you." position. She sighs I can see, and mouths the word "gross" to me, referring to Jiruga's turned back. I smirk at her and nod slightly in understanding. Yeah, I know what a dog and how disgusting the guy is.

I walk over to where Renji is sitting, now with Kurosaki again. He's flushed, cheeks tinged with that drunken haze. His eyes are unfocused too as he squints at me, recognizes me, and fixes me with a sloppy crooked grin. Kurosaki scowls at our drunk as shit friend.

Even though he volunteered himself to be Abarai's babysitter for the night, I think I might feel bad leaving him alone to deal with the mess that is Abarai Renji in a drunken stupor. I sigh and walk over closer to the two, to tell Kurosaki the two of them can crash at my place for the night since I don't have to work tomorrow, but before the words can get out I stop.

That same short, familiar figure walks by and I _swear_ I _know_ that chick from somewhere. I follow her with my eyes and realize she's turning and kind of heading in my direction.

"Space cadet?"

I think I almost growled at him this time. Or maybe I did. I don't even say "what" this time, just stare at him heatedly. Kurosaki is not fazed by the threatening glare on my face or the, uh, animalistic sound that I just produced. He raises an eyebrow.

"Were you about to say something? I think you just spaced ou-"

"Shut the fuck up. I don't fucking space out." I _did_ growl there.

He raises both eyebrows now and for some reason that annoys me deeply. But I've got the self-control of a saint right now and just ignore his look. I glance over to the still drinking Renji and remember what I was about to say.

"I was gonna ask you, to save you a trip and shit, and so you don't have to deal with _that_ alone." I say, pointing at Abarai. "if you two wanted to just crash at my place tonight. Got tomorrow off and I know the both of you do too."

Kurosaki looks surprised, like he didn't expect something nice and thoughtful would come from my mouth… the bastard.

"Yeah, sure." He looks to Abarai and nudges him. "How about it Renji?"

The redhead almost falls from his barstool, but nods just the same.

"Alright then. I get off in about thirty five minutes."

I walk over and grab the wet towel that Jiruga had apparently abandoned. And continue wiping down the bar that he had apparently abandoned as well… useless bastard.

Ran leaves about ten minutes later, her friends following. Before she walks out the door she stops and turns to me, waving. I blow her a kiss this time. Rangiku catches it and plants it on her cheek smirking at me seductively. I grin back wolfishly. She leaves.

It's so close to closing that most everyone else leaves too. Abarai and Kurosaki are the only ones at the bar as they wait on me. The waitresses bustle around, straightening chairs and cleaning tables. I turn back to the task at hand- wiping down these nozzles to our glorious array of booze.

"Oi. Grimmjow." I hear someone call me clearly. The flat screens and surround sound have been cut off so really, there is no other noise. But I think I would have recognized the voice in a quiet sea of noise anyway, even though I just heard it for the first time last night.

I turn quick and see the kid. The same kid from last night, from the bushes, the house across the street, from my memory.

She sits daintily up at the bar, two seats away from Kurosaki's curious eyes. She was the one wearing the knitted cap thing, the one that was so familiar from behind, even though I really hadn't got much of a back view of her from last night.

She smiles in my direction and waves, as if all is right with the world and she has every reason to be sitting here. I almost flip out.

I walk out the bar area and around to her, grabbing her hand as I pass. She yelps and sort of stumbles out of the stool and into my side. I jerk up on her arm, straightening her out some, and continue my way to the door.

The bouncer is still there but he was about head inside; I march up to him, girl in tow.

"Dude! Yammy! What the hell man? You're letting kids in here for _what_ reason?"

Yammy turns to me and so does the girl. Both look perplexed.

"What're you rambling on about. I ain't let no minors in here, never have."

I still hold the girls hand and lift it up, raising it in the air and shaking it.

"Here's your minor Riyalgo."

"Shit, she gave me an ID, her license and shit. Said she was twenty two. How the fuck am I supposed to know the difference between real and fake IDs.

I was about to open my mouth and quip out some witty remark about that being his goddamn job, but the little chick beat me to the punch.

"Minor? Underage? Fake ID?" she asks as she rips her hand from my grasp. I hadn't even realized I still had her hand in my grip.

"Yeah. That shit. What're you doing with all tha-" She doesn't let me finish.

"What are you talking about? I don't have a fake ID. I'm no-" I didn't let her finish.

"Then how did Yammy here let you through? Why?"

"Cause I'm not a damn minor!" The shout stopped me for a second, but then I remembered her doing that same shit last night.

"_Why would my parent's care? I'm grown."_

"_That's the third or fourth time you've called me kid. Stop doing that."_

I scoffed. "Seriously, though. You're pulling that again?"

She just stared at me in disbelief, that I wouldn't just believe whatever she said. But really? Twenty two? No fucking way in hell…

She scowled coldly at me and riffled through the bag I hadn't even known she'd grabbed before I dragged her out. She handed me a license.

I can tell authentic from non-authentic. I look over the document closely. Very closely. Really fucking closely. And… it's real. The real deal. Now I glance to her face, wondering who she stole it from. But the girl in the pic looks the same as the girl in front of me. Not looking a day over seventeen, at best.

For some reason, I feel extremely fucking stupid. Like, horribly, idiotically, fucking stupid. And damned embarrassed too. I keep my eyes on the license in my hand, even though I know it's real, she's telling the truth, and I royally fucked up. I feel my cheeks burn.

"So, uh, you're twenty-two… as of January 14th."

"Yeah."

Her voice is smug sounding and I know if I glance up at her face, it's gonna piss me off.

"Alright then. Access granted." I sneer and step around her, pulling my hand out in a sort of sweeping motion. I see her out of my peripheral and she does look smug as fuck. Ugh. Annoying bitch.

I let her in first but speed past her and take up my spot behind the bar again. Yammy stays outside and laughs his ass off, at my expense of course… fucker.

I busy myself with cleaning this and that, checking to see if Abarai is comatose yet and hoping to the above that we're not gonna have to carry him out to Kurosaki's car. He's coherent, but barely, and Kurosaki glances up from his cell still looking all curious and inquiring and shit. I ignore him.

"Oi. Grimmjow." Her again.

"What?" I don't turn around.

"Can I get a vodka and cranberry juice, on the rocks?"

I glance down to my wristwatch. It's technically closing time. Shouldn't even take anymore orders. I sigh and hurriedly get what she wants.

I walk over to where she sits.

"Here." I say gruffly, still embarrassed for making such a big deal over what turned out to be absolutely nothing.

Her eyes meet mine. Damned purple coloring startles me again in it's intensity and I keep my eyes locked with hers a bit too long. I lower my eyes and shove the drink out to her more, feeling awkward, which is not how Grimmjow Jaegerjaques ever feels. Her hands… not as soft feeling as they look as she takes the glass.

I don't look back at her, not directly, but I can see in my peripheral that as she lowers her lashes, she has a lingering smile on her lips.

Jiruga is gone. The manager is gone. Abarai is dead. And Kurosaki is either texting or shooting me and the nameless midget chick furtive and questioning glances. I sigh.

It doesn't take her too long to finish off her drink. When she does I hear the clink of the ice in the glass and head her way.

I take the cup and back up without looking at her, about to tell her to leave, we're damned fucking closed, when her small, soft yet not super soft hand closes around my wrist.

"Oi."

Her voice is soft for some reason when she talks to me now. I look to her face and raise a brow, letting her know I'm listening.

She smiles at me and it's kind of timid, but not really. Her eyes quickly slide over to Kurosaki at her left, but he is oh so engrossed in his texting that he doesn't notice our exchange. When her eyes rest on mine again she looks less shy, not at all actually, and slips a piece of paper in my hand. The one that's clutching the cup.

She gets up after that and casts me one more glance. I felt like it was a lingering one, that look she gave me, but I probably was wrong.

"See you Grimmjow." she slightly waves, making her way to the front door. "I know you guys are closed now, right?"

"Yeah." I hear myself say. She nods to herself and lets herself out.

For some reason I find myself a lot less annoyed than I should be about having to take a dead Renji and lug him to my couch as I look at the unfolded scrap of paper in my hand.

_Kuchiki Rukia - (879) 318-2635_

* * *

><p>AN: So how was that?

Thank you to all who reviewed, favorited, and alerted the story (and me!). It means a lot to me and I do loove to get feedback. Anonymous reviewer sphinx - thanks for your review and no, this will definitely not be a one-shot :)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach...

* * *

><p>I will murder him.<p>

I'm seriously planning out the homicide I so badly want to commit right now as I glare down at Renji and the _shit_ he made on my floor.

Vomit.

On my carpet.

Spilling from the overturned trashcan that I _made sure_ to place next to the couch.

"Abarai! Wake the _fuck_ up right now!"

He jerks up on the couch into a sitting position as I hear a toilet flush and Kurosaki emerges from the bathroom.

Renji looks around groggily, rubbing his eyes, squinting and shielding them from the bright afternoon sun.

"Man, what up with all the yelling? My head kills." he mutters, closing his eyes and clutching at his skull. I sneer.

"Your head's gonna be hurting a lot more than that soon, asshole."

"What? What the hell? Shut up." he says, sounding confused and irritated and even slightly hurt at my words. "My head is seriously splitting. And…" he makes a face, smacking his lips some. "And my mouth tastes effin horrible. Like-"

"Barf maybe?" I bellow.

He jerks at my outburst then looks around, spotting the trashcan on it's side with all it's disgusting contents on my damn floor. Kurosaki walks fully in the room and grimaces.

"Dude, that's foul."

"The hell it is." I say, shaking my head. I look back to Renji, and honestly, he looks pretty sorry. But I could foreal care less about his sorries and shit.

"Tch." I scoff. "Clean this shit up Abarai, now, before I murder you."

His head hangs, like a damn wounded dog. "Alright man, sorry."

I resist the urge to say "damn straight" and walk out the living room, over to the adjacent kitchen. Kurosaki follows.

I slump into one of the four chairs at my small, round table and drop my head down onto folded arms, feeling annoyed and grossed out. Puke does that to me, especially if it ain't mine.

"That bastard…" I mutter, referring to the redhead, annoyance fizzling down somewhat.

"You know he didn't mean to." Kurosaki says, the ever present voice of reason.

I sigh. "Whatever."

We sit in silence. My head is still down on the table and Kurosaki doesn't say anything else. I can hear Abarai cursing himself and the puke on the floor in the next room.

"Sooo." Kurosaki drawls after a while. I glance up, letting him know he's got my attention as he fixes me with a crooked half-smirk. "What's on the agenda for today?"

I narrow my eyes. "Nothing." I say. "Not that it's any of your business anyway."

He shrugs nonchalantly. "Well I was wondering if we're gonna chill for the rest of the day or if you're gonna kick us out." An eyebrow goes up and he grins. "We could fuck around with Renji. You know he's gotta have the hangover from hell. And I know you wanna get him back for messing up your carpet." He stops and looks up and to the side, in mock thought. "But then something told me that you might have plans already. Or maybe you were gonna make some plans…. I dunno. That's why I asked though" He shrugs again and his tone is just so ambiguous, pisses me right off; quit frankly confuses me too.

"What plans?" I demand, scowling at the knowing look that appears on his face. Seriously, Kurosaki's being more annoying than usual.

"It's my day off. If my plans don't involve the either of you two," I look at him but jerk my head in the direction Abarai's off-key singing voice comes from. "then I'm probably gonna catch up on sleep or just sit my ass around the house and do nothing. You know that." I scoff. And he does know that. If I don't hear it more from anybody else, Kurosaki makes it his business to tell me what a homebody I am. If I ain't with Renji or him, I'm at home or work. I don't socialize. I'm not a social person.

Kurosaki nods to my response. "Yeah Grimm, I get that. And I know you, probably more than you know yourself." He pauses and I roll my eyes. Knows me better than I know myself, he says. Whatever.

Kurosaki glances down to the table then back up at me. Again, that crooked half-smirk is back on his face. "But seriously, I saw that shit yesterday." he says.

I cock a brow, thoroughly confused now. "What are you talking about? Something I did at work?" I ask.

"No." He shakes his head. "Someone you _talked_ to at work."

"I talk to assloads of people every night." I mutter as I slowly look away from him. It's true, I do, but I know who he's talking about.

The girl.

He's talking about her.

Or, I mean, _Kuchiki Rukia._

And no, not girl.

The _woman_, Kuchiki Rukia.

Those large, amethyst doe eyes of hers had popped up in my mind and consciousness a couple times throughout the night. Her smile had kinda did the same thing. And that slip of paper with her name and number on it, that definitely had.

I had woke up on three different occasions and _she_ showed up in my thoughts. Goddamn irritating, I _swear._

"So" Kurosaki says, looking me dead on in the eyes. "Who was that girl?"

"Ran-chan. A girlfriend I used to have." I sighed, looking away from him and his pensive stare.

"Not talking about Rangiku, man."

"And you know it's none of your damn business, don't you?"

He raises his hands, as if to ward off my anger. "I'm just curious. That's all. You don't have to say shit to me if you don't want to."

"Well I don't." I say it with more attitude than I'd intended, sounding like a petulant fourteen year old girl. I slump in my seat more and scowl at nothing.

We sit in silence for a bit longer and I'm annoyed. Cause Kurosaki, it's like he let open the damn flood gates. The chick that's somehow popped up in my life the past two days straight, _I'm_ really curious about her. Kurosaki's "who was that girl" has me wondering the same thing. And honestly, I kinda do wanna talk about her. He probably knows too, the bastard.

I hadn't intended on calling her. I really hadn't. I'm not looking for a companion or no shit like that. No girlfriend. No relationship. Not even a fuck buddy, like Rangiku had wanted to be. And I know that that girl, Kuchiki Rukia or whatever, she wants something from me; something I am just not able to give, not at this point in my life. I mean, girls just don't randomly hand out their numbers to guys with no type of motives behind, regardless of what those are. And I remember the way she looked at me; same way Ran and so many others before the either of them have. I just don't want to deal with it. Not now. Maybe later, if it's _her_, but not now.

"She gave you her number, didn't she?" Kurosaki asks, more like states.

"She…" I purse my lips and exhale deeply. "She was over here, night before last." I say, ignoring his question and knowing that he can probably gather the answer from my evasion.

Kurosaki's eyes got big at my words. "You - you've _slept_ with her?" he quietly yells.

I choke on nothing and cough, surprised, but really, I know I shouldn't be. I'd've thought the same thing if he'd told me some shit like that.

"What? NO!"

"Then-"

"I saw her across the street. She'd come from one of my neighbors house, asking me if she could use a phone. I let her in and she used my damn phone. That was that." I say, scowling at him.

"That was that…" He repeats, trailing off, suspicion leaking from his voice.

"That was that." I growl, finality to my words.

We sit in silence a minute or two and my thoughts go over that night. I grin to myself, or at nothing, at the memory. "She fell out the window. Second floor, in the house across the street. She was crawling from the bushes when I first saw her."

His eyebrows raise. "Wha-"

"Oi, Grimmjow. I'm finished."

A slightly pale Renji interrupts as he comes in and carelessly drops his weight in a chair. I hear it creak under him.

"Stop doing that shit Abarai. If you break my chair, you as good as bought it."

"My bad."

The three of us sit there, quietly, for like fifteen seconds.

"Can we get some McDonalds breakfast?" Renji asks.

I look at the time on the microwave. "It's 1:17. Breakfast is over jackass. Has been for three hours."

Renji sighs and drops his head in his hands. "Then how bout some Denny's? I want eggs."

Kurosaki glances over to me and shrugs. "Sounds good to me. You in Grimm?"

My stomach rumbles at the thought of bacon

"Yeah."

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later we're ready to roll.<p>

As we're getting ready to head out, Abarai speaks up.

"Hey, what were you guys talking about when I came in the kitchen? Something about someone falling from a window?"

Ichigo glances to me and shrugs. "Meh, Grimmjow's admirer or some shit. She fell from a window."

I growl. "Shut _up_, Kurosaki." I give him a good, hard shove and he stumbles back, falling over the arm of the couch, landing on the cushions and laughing his ass off. Abarai looks lost.

"What admirer?"

* * *

><p>The rest of the day was long, but I had an okay time, I guess.<p>

Kurosaki and I just kept bothering the living fuck out of Renji, for laughs. Talking too loudly, randomly yelling. It was childish, but maybe he'll see how jacked up he's being with his drinking, especially if he can't fucking function the next day cause of the crippling hangovers he gets. But it's doubtful that he'll see anything, cause Renji's a true dumb-ass.

I glance up and narrow my eyes at the still bright sun of 5:30 p.m. A cool wind blows through, and even though the sun is bright, it's not warming. I involuntarily shiver as I quickly zip up my leather jacket and stuff my hands deep within my pockets.

I just left the two of them a while ago. Kurosaki had to run some errands and Abarai was complaining about being sleepy. He'd asked me if I wanted him to drop me off. I told him, nah, I'll walk, which for some reason concerned him. I told him to shut the hell up, I'm a grown ass man, I can handle a mile or two on my feet. I shake my head, still thinking about it. I swear, sometimes that Kurosaki acts like a damn mom.

I'm a little more than halfway home. The bar, my lovely place of employment, is a little more ways up the street, but I cut a corner and walk down a side alley. It's my damn day off. I don't even want to walk past that hellhole.

…

That hellhole…

Where I ran into the girl…

Wait, not girl. Kuchiki Rukia. Grown woman.

I shake my head, irritated with myself, realizing I had actually stopped in my tracks when I thought of her.

I start walking again.

Honestly though, she's weird. Well, maybe not _her_, per se. Yeah. I don't even know the chick; can't really label her like that when I don't know a damn thing about her. Just, the night I met her… weird. And not even weird really, just random.

The shit concerning and surrounding her, fucking random.

Crawling from the bushes. The bundle of clothes she'd had with her. The phone conversation she had in my house. _Our_ conversation. Her apparent love of guinea pigs.

Random, all of it.

Seeing her last night even. I mean, what are the odds? What're the odds that I'd meet someone one night, and then they'd just _happen _by the place I work at the next, waving and calling to me like they knew I worked there all along. And I'm fairly damn certain she's never come into work before; least not while I was there. I'd remember her. She's eye catching. B-because she's midget height, of course.

I sigh and scratch at my head as I keep walking.

I'm curious about her, I'll admit that. She's intriguing.

And though I _am_ curious, and though she's been popping up in my mind damn often since the first time I saw her, I… really am thinking I probably wont call her. I'm not looking to have no woman in my life right now, and I don't need no more friends. Fucking purple-eyed broad…

I'm at the street corner my house sits at now, looking to my shoebox of a home. Fuck, I love that place.

I speed up my steps a little, quicken my strides, cause I swear it feels like the temperature is dropping by the minute. Too damn cold for spring.

I'm almost there, about to turn onto the sidewalk leading up to my front door when I hear a different door slam, kind of close to me. I glance over my shoulder out of curiosity and I see it's the house, the house directly across the street from mine. The one the Kuchiki woman came from the night before last.

My steps slow till I'm barely crawling along, my focus focused on the guy that came from that house.

Nosy? Yeah, I'm being hella nosy, but I could really give a shit.

The guy is tall, bout my height, maybe a little taller. His back is turned as he locks the door, but I can see the spiky black hair; similar to Kurosaki's, just longer.

I'm still on the sidewalk now, waiting, cause there's something I realize I need to see about this guy all of a sudden. Something she said to describe that ex of hers; the one she broke up with the night we met.

He turns from locking up, fully facing me now.

Facial tattoos.

That's what she said. _"Your neighbor. Spiky black hair, facial tattoos, tall."_

The guy looks up from something he was fiddling with in his hand - keys - feeling my eyes on him. I jerk my head up in greeting and he nods back in acknowledgement.

We stand there awkwardly for several seconds until one or the both of us looks away. I walk up to my door, unlock and let myself in.

There's a magazine by the door I slip on and almost fall over. I scowl and kick at it. It makes loud crinkling sounds as I send it sailing to the far end of the room near the couch where it lands.

As think about the woman again, about the guy across the street, and how she so carelessly broke-up with him, I hear Usagi's squeals come from the back corner of the room; as loud as they were the night I let Rukia hold him. I shake my head.

Fatass. Can't possibly be hungry. Had a full food bowl not five hours ago…

* * *

><p>Work is slow tonight. Thank Kami.<p>

It's actually been kind of on the slow end for the past few days. But it is the middle of the week, work is typically a little slow these nights. Tuesdays through Thursdays.

Two or three people mingle around the bar. Couple more sit at the tables. None of the regulars are here.

And she never came back. It's been five days since she slipped that piece of paper to me. I haven't seen her not once since then.

Not that I care.

I sigh and lean over, resting my forearms against the bar's countertop.

Boring. That's what this dead ass bar is right now.

Heavy footfalls and a slap on the shoulder jerk me from my thoughts.

"Jaegerjaques, it's dull as shit in here, ain't it?"

I sigh again and straighten out my body. "Ah. That it is, Jiruga."

Nnoitra Jiruga's long and lanky frame settles close to mine, and quite frankly, I find myself inching away from him. The guy seriously irks me for some reason. Again, there's just something about him that makes me wanna start taking swings.

We stand there, just looking out at the few people. There ain't shit else to do.

Ten minutes go by.

Fifteen.

Two hours.

Hell, after a while I stop keeping track. Time's kinda blurring together now.

Jiruga disappeared a good forty-five minutes ago, no surprise there. But I don't really care about being the only one at the bar, as slow as it is tonight.

I glance out over the floor again as I wipe down countertops and bar equipment. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if Kurosaki and Abarai showed up. Yeah, Renji'd probably hound me for free drinks and Kurosaki wouldn't do shit but text or people-watch, but it'd be better to have them here than this; nothing and no one.

Nnoitra comes back from where ever the hell he was when I have another forty minutes to go till I get off. We talk and chat for a bit; he points out some older woman, talking about her saggy tits in her badly fitting top. Gross bastard.

"And her over there, damn fucking short. Little person short. Like, midget short"

I snort. "Dude, maybe they're clinically an actual little person." I say, back turned to him and whoever he's looking at as I put up glassware and other shit.

"Heh. Maybe. But damn is she fine. Hottest midget _I've _ever seen."

I shrug, continuing what I was doing. "Whatever floats your boat."

He doesn't respond but it's whatever. Seems like every type of female out there 'floats his boat', if you catch my drift.

I hear Jiruga take an order in a much smoother, tailored voice than what he normally uses, what I'm used to hearing from him. I briefly wonder if it's the short chick he was talking about or saggy tits. Probably short chick, since she's apparently the "hottest midget he's ever seen". I shrug to myself again. Whatever. I don't care about who Jiruga plans on sinking his teeth into.

But then I hear the order, the person order_ing_, and that, that makes me feel like maybe I do care.

"Can I get a vodka and cranberry, on the rocks?"

I turn at that, cause I recognize the voice, a voice I remember thinking that I'd recognize in a sea of noise the last time I heard it. The order too; I recognize it cause that's the same thing she ordered before. A cheap drink, quick to get you fucked up if you have enough.

I turn around fully to see her.

She sits there at the bar. Just sitting, totally ignoring Jiruga and his advances and chitchat and charming and shit.

Our eyes meet.

Seriously. That fucking purple color. It's… deep? I don't know, but it holds me still for a minute. Holds me there in my spot for a second, cause that color… it's… it's all wrong, for a pair of eyes.

Or is it?

….

I don't know.

I try not to care, too.

But then she's kinda smiling at me slightly, just the slightest upturn of the corner of her mouth. I nod back a greeting, muttering "hey", but she probably didn't hear cause I literally muttered it… to the beer mug in my hand.

Nnoitra comes back with the drink and I turn back to whatever the fuck I was doing.

Oh, right. Putting up clean glasses.

"Alright. Here you go. One cranberry and vodka, on the rocks." Nnoitra's smarmy voice says. And his tone, fucking _irks_ me, more so than usual. I scowl down at the mug in my hand, knuckles whitening as my grip unconsciously tightens.

"Thank you." she, Rukia, says; soft and curt.

"No problem." Jiruga replies. He pauses for a second, but when his voice comes again, I can practically hear the lewd grin and the over-the-top, phony sincerity to his words.

"Anything for pretty ladies." he purrs… or tries…

Before I can stop myself I'm scoffing out loud, and pretty damn loud at that. I know they heard, or at least Jiruga did, when I hear the flow of conversation halt.

"What's up with you, Jaegerjaques?"

He sounds genuinely curious, but I can detect a hint of warning in the question. There's a warning to his words, like he thinks I'm tryna fuck up him getting some ass tonight. That sort of guy code all us guys have. Don't intrude on what I've claimed as mine; and once that's been claimed, don't be a cock-blocker.

Hell, I'm normally good at letting shit alone and allowing Jiruga to come on to any and every girl that steps foot in the bar. I could foreal care less. But tonight, and because of who it _is_… I dunno. I feel like being an ass. Not conforming to those guy codes me and Jiruga have unconsciously been following all this time.

I mean, I'm sure the girl will thank me too.

I turn around to them, vaguely noticing the bar has pretty much emptied out. Nnoitra stands off to the side of me, but almost directly in front of Rukia, leaning back against the countertop with elbows propping himself up from behind. He regards me with narrowed eyes.

"Ah, nothing. Just tired I guess." I say as lightly as I can muster. Though I don't like the thought of Jiruga tryna lay it on her the way he is, I just leave it alone. I thought about it, and there's probably no way in hell she'd go for him.

Nnoitra eyes me a good second longer; processing my words, assessing me, I guess, when he relaxes and lets that wide-as-fuck and creepy-as-hell grin that I _hate_ slip onto his face.

"Yeah, it has been a tiring and boring night." He turns and fixes Rukia with the same disturbingly broad grin that looks more like a lecherous leer. "I was just telling Jaegerjaques that." he says to her, as if she should really give an eff.

I still cant see her around Jiruga's long frame, but I hear her hum in agreeance or whatever, like she really didn't give an eff.

Jiruga continues talking to her about dumb shit; shit that I know she probably couldn't give two fucks about. I try to tune them out, to focus on the beer mugs and other glasses and the fact that I have less than ten minutes to be here, but I find myself straining to hear their conversation. Not so much what Nnoitra is saying, but what _she's _saying.

But it's not like she's really saying anything in response to his rambling. Just a series of half-hearted "mmhmms", "yeahs" and "ohs". Persistence is Nnoitra Jiruga's middle name though, and he still tries to catch her attention; attention that is apparently a million miles away even though he's literally looming over her from across the bars' countertop.

I don't hear the either of them speak for the last seven minutes left on my shift. I'd resisted the urge to turn, wondering whether she'd already left or if Jiruga had just given up, but as I glanced at the wall clock and saw that it was twelve and I'm home free, he spoke up again.

"So, pretty lady, what're your plans for tonight?"

The dishrag in my hand slipped from my grasp when I heard that. I leaned over to pick it up and caught her eye, mid-stoop.

Her lips pursed as I watched her and she looked mildly disgusted; her violet eyes slightly narrowed. She didn't say anything for a full four seconds and she seemed to catch my stare just as a smirk began to spread across my face.

"I - I've got plans with a friend. We - we're going to… do something…" she said, scrambling for something to say, even though if it were me, I wouldn't've bothered giving him no kind of explanation.

"Do something." Jiruga murmured slowly as I'd picked up the towel and tossed it aside.

"Yeah." she said, just as slow.

I caught her eye again as I was ready to walk out the bar area. She looked at me while her mouth was open, ready to respond, looking for all the world like a panicking kid. Her bright eyes were wide and had this "deer caught in the head-lights" kind of look. I felt my earlier smirk widen for just a second, but I think that look, that startled and caught-in-the-spotlight look she wore - maybe that's why I took pity on her.

I sighed internally but turned to Nnoitra. "That's right, Jiruga. We got plans."

I could see Rukia's eyebrows go up in surprise in my peripheral. Nnoitra's wide grin is nowhere to be found, now. He scowls at me while I remain neutral and Rukia stays quiet.

"Plans? Plans like what? I didn't even know you knew each other."

"Plans like none of your business." I say as I leave the bar and walk around to the seat Rukia sits at. "And yeah, we know each other, right Rukia?"

I can feel her eyes focused up on me from her barstool seat as I keep my own eyes locked on Jiruga and his increasingly darkening look.

"Ah, Grimmjow." Her voice is clear and somewhat loud in the empty bar. Confident sounding even though we're halfway lying. I feel the corner of my mouth go up in a slight smile.

I grab her hand and drag her off the seat, same as I'd done not too long ago, hearing her fumble with her bag as I start towards the door.

"Alright then. Lets go."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

Sorry the update wasn't as quick as I'd intended them to be for this story. Had a few hang-ups...

Anyways, as always, I want to thank those who reviewed, favorited, alerted the story, and me! I appreciate it much and it only fuels desire to write.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or the song _The Pretender_

* * *

><p>I roughly shove open the door of the bar and step out into the night.<p>

Out on the sidewalk, we stop a few feet from the door. I look across the street at nothing in particular and hastily drop her hand.

It's quiet out. I look up and notice the blanket of stars high above me and how they shine so brightly. Karakura doesn't have the cleanest air in the world. Though the city is on the small side, there are plenty of factories and shit around, spewing out their pollution into the sky on a daily basis. Makes me wonder how the stars can still shine so intensely…

A timid voice breaks me from my random and uncharacteristic thoughts.

"Oi." Quiet and small. Her voice is so small right now…

My head is still tilted up, facing the sky, but I slide my eyes over to her.

She stands there, as little as the voice she just used. Her large bag or purse or whatever slips down her shoulder and she unconsciously pulls it back up. Those big, doe violet eyes pen me with an unwavering stare.

"So, I uh, want to thank you." she says, and though her eyes were so steady moments before, they stray from me before quickly sliding back again. "I could have handled him on my own, though."

I snort and pull my gaze back away from her, to the sky, as a smirk crosses my features slowly. "Heh, yeah, sure you could've." I mutter as I lean back on the heels of my feet and cross my hands behind my head.

"I - I could have!" she almost yells, indignantly, using the voice I remember from the night I mistook her for some underaged kid. My smirk widens.

"Really?"

"Really!"

I glance over to her out of my peripheral again. "Then why didn't you? I get the feeling that if I hadn't stepped in, you would've spent the rest of the bars' open hours explaining yourself and making up excuses to that jackass."

Her upper lip curls. She scowls at me and I can't help but notice how I can see, even in the dim lighting of the streetlights, that the cool violet of her eyes deepens into more of a plum color.

"I could have," she repeats, a little less loudly. "But…" her earlier intense gaze shifts from me down to the ground, sheepishly. "I got distracted by something."

I look her over as she says that, noticing how her eyes stay plastered to the ground now. A telltale blush tinges her cheeks some and I'm reminded of my earlier thoughts on her and her weirdness. I nod to myself and let my hands drop from behind my head. Yeah, weird.

"Well, see ya." I mutter and start off down the street, thinking about how I'm damn going to enjoy the stars tonight, as bright as they are. Thinking about _her_, too_,_ and how I kinda dig her weirdness.

And honestly, I think about how I suddenly feel like being around that weirdness, for just a little while longer, might just be a little more enjoyable than the stars…

"Wa - wait!"

My brows furrow some and I glance over my shoulder to see her walking quickly over to me, clutching her bag to her shoulder. But really, I feel some sort of excited hitch in stomach. Fuck if I know why.

"Are you walking?" she asks, eyes locked with mine as I turn and face her fully.

"Yeah. Got no car." I say, shrugging.

Her eyes shift from my face, then slide over again quickly, just as they'd done a little while before. "Did you want a ride?" Her words come out rushed.

I think about it a second, real hard. I wanna accept, and not just cause the walk is long as shit. But then I think about how I really don't… appreciate how, or understand _why_, this chick is so goddamn on my mind, and I already know my answer.

My shoulder goes up in a half shrug. "Not really."

She looks like she's at a loss for words for a second and my mouth quirks up the smallest bit.

"Oh, well alright. I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah, maybe." I say as dismissively as I can, turning around and starting my long ass walk home.

A couple feet away from her, I get the urge to look back, for some reason; I cast her one more glance over my shoulder.

She was turning the opposite way when our eyes locked again. She stopped in her tracks and it was several seconds before the either of us did anything. But then she grinned at me brightly and I cursed myself for turning back to her at all. I abruptly look away and keep walking.

"Gah" I mutter to myself and ruffle my hair irritably.

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes later I'm barely close to being halfway home.<p>

My mood is damn sour now, too.

The Rukia woman won't leave my thoughts, and I'm fucking _annoyed_.

And it's not just like full, coherent thoughts I'm having about her. No. It's like, little flashes here and there. Of the times I've seen her and been around her.

Her crawling from the bushes. Her holding Usagi up to her shoulder as she looked at me from under her lashes. Her smiling and waving to me as she got my attention at the bar the other night. How she looked almost shy when she slipped me her phone number…

Even tonight. The way she smiled at me just the slightest bit when I first saw her. The distracted and deer-in-the-headlights look that was on her face as her eyes caught mine when she tried to answer Jiruga and his harassment.

And outside just now. How almost awkward she was being at first. The indignance and annoyance in her eyes, her voice and on her face when I called her out on the whole fiasco inside the bar. And definitely the grin she gave me as she walked off, the blush that covered her cheeks when she talked about being distracted by who-the-hell-knows what.

I stop abruptly and scowl. I glance up at my surroundings, realizing I hadn't been paying attention to shit as I walked.

Still a little less than halfway home…

I huff irritably and walk over to an abandoned bus stop, sitting on the chipped and paint-missing bench.

Freakin' tonight man… so annoying. Everything. The empty bar. The endless chitchat from fucking Jiruga. His fucking _flirting _that was damn nauseating to behold. The midget Rukia woman and her weird and random awkwardness and alternately bold and bossy attitude. And the fact that she was the _cause_ of Jiruga's flirting.

I sigh and rake a hand through my hair, silently stewing over tonight; _why_ I'm so annoyed by so much that happened.

Two minutes go by. Three. Seven. I almost jump when the quiet car pulls up to the curb close to where I sit.

"I didn't know the bus ran so late!"

The yell came to my left, from out on the street. I suppress that excited feeling, that excited, thrilling hitch in my belly like the one I'd gotten twenty or so minutes ago. I look up, plastering on an indifferent face.

She leans towards me across the passenger seat of an SUV, window rolled down, face obscured by shadows.

"I- I was headed towards your area…" she says and turns her head away from me briefly. "The ride still stands."

I rise without giving it much thought, getting up before my mind can tell me no. I walk towards the car.

I lean down a little into the open window that she's leaning across to. Looking in but making sure our eyes don't _meet_ meet, I mutter, "I'll accept that. But only cause I damn don't feel like walkin'."

She nods. "Alright then. Get in."

I slip into her ride and she pulls out into the night.

* * *

><p>"So, why were you looking so glum out there?"<p>

"None of your business."

She stops at that, seemingly at a loss for words again the way she was earlier, like she didn't expect my blunt and kinda rude sounding response. Most people don't expect it, my bluntness and rudeness, but after they get to know me, they start to.

As a minute passes by and she doesn't say anything else, doesn't try to start conversation again, I start to feel the need to talk. To fill the silence that I oddly enough don't like so much when she's around.

"Pretty big ride for such a little girl." Her eyes dart over to me and she frowns.

"I'm not a little girl."

"I know. But you look like one."

She sighs instead of getting angrier. "So I've been told." Pauses. "Recently, I even got accused of being a minor trying to sneak into a bar."

She gives me a long, pointed look and I scowl at that, the fact that she brought up that fairly embarrassing moment, and the fact that she's damn not paying attention to the road.

"That sucks." I say, feigning ignorance, and her pointed look becomes incredulous.

"Oi. Watch the road, will you?" I add when I realize it's been, like, a full fifteen seconds since her eyes were on it.

"Tch. Scared?" she mutters, turning back to the street. "I'm a fantastic driver."

"What? No, I'm not scared!" I almost yell and face her fully. "And fantastic driver or not, not watching where you're going will get us both fucked up. I'm not tryna spend the night in the hospital."

Her eyes dart over to me and she shrugs. "You didn't have to take the ride."

"Wouldn't have, had I known you drive like a dumb-ass."

She snorts at that, but oddly enough, instead of more scowling or muttering some other rebuttal, she sorta grins to herself.

"You're… unconventional, Grimmjow."

My eyebrow goes up at her words, the turn of events, where the conversation has suddenly spun off to.

"How so?" I ask, slumping in the seat but staying facing her.

She glances over to me, slight grin still present. "Well, here I am, a girl you don't really know, and you're calling me a dumb-ass and yelling and cursing at me. Your pretty rude. You honestly seem like an asshole. But through your actions, I can tell you aren't. It's… different."

I don't know whether to scowl or look confused; whether that was some sorta compliment or insult.

"You don't care what I think of you." she adds. And she didn't ask it.

I _am_ confused now. "Not at all. Why would I? Like you said, I don't really know you."

She's quiet for a full minute or more, and when she does speak again, it's more to herself.

"You really don't try to save face." She sighs; big and wistful-like. "That's refreshing."

We sit in silence for several minutes more, but unlike before, I'm not so quick to break it. What she said… it's true, yeah. But it's not everyday I get someone totally noticing my assholery and rudeness and… being okay with it. Saying it's _refreshing_, at that.

I shake my head minutely, realizing that I've got a slight smile on my face and wiping that off completely.

"You've got a long walk every night."

I jerk back to the present. "Ah."

"Hey, why're you headed out my way, anyway?" I idly ask after a thought.

"I'm going to my ex-boyfriends house to see if I can find that phone."

I look to her from my peripheral. And the girl looks completely at ease; comfortable, like she didn't just casually mention a past romantic interest.

Granted, it's not like I know hers and his past. They might've dated for only days or weeks. But it could've been for months to years. He might've been a shit boyfriend. But he could've been the love of her life.

Most people… Iono, develop _feelings_ and shit, based on their relationships. Good feels, bad feelings. Happy feelings, sad feelings. You can see what that relationship meant to them when they mention it; with most people you can, at least I've always been able to tell. Even if it's the slightest flicker of emotion, the littlest twitch of reaction. Was always so transparent with mom… Because of her, I could always pick up on that type of shit….

But violet eyes over here; I haven't seen a glimmer of _anything_ from her when she mentions that nameless ex. Nothing. And the other brief times we've talked, were around each other, conversed, she's like an open damn book. Her thoughts and shit- all over her face, in her expressive eyes.

But I get nothing when she speaks of him… Don't know why I'm curious about it, but I am. It's… weird.

I pull my eyes forward again as she stops at a red light.

"How long'd you and Facial Tattoos date?"

With the car braked she turns to face me, but I don't acknowledge her glance.

After a few she faces forward again, asking why, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. Not nervously, though; shiftlessly, nonchalantly.

"Cause I wanna know."

"Why?"

I say nothing and scowl at the windshield and the now green light. She laughs softly and steps on the gas.

"We were together eight months." she says after a block had passed. "Or maybe ten."

Eight months, ten months… a girl not being sure of the actual length of time she dated someone… that same damn uncaring attitude… shit, that _long_ of a relationship… I've gotta to ask, even though I know its none of my business at all.

"Why'd you break up?"

"Because I was bored." She says it so easily. I look over to her just as she turns to me, and when our eyes meet, neither of us break the contact.

"I was bored. There wasn't a spark; never was a spark. And I couldn't pretend to care anymore."

She's still giving me this look, like maybe I should understand. Like she _knows_ I should understand.

I don't know what that stare is about, but it makes me uncomfortable, like I wanna start fidgeting in the seat but can't cause her eyes are just… keeping me rooted. I swallow thickly

I jump when a car horn blares loudly, and my heart kinda throws itself into my throat.

"Holy shit! Watch the fuck'n road!"

She laughs.

* * *

><p>She turns onto my street, pulls up to the curb of the house across from mine and kills the engine. I open the door and slip out before some sort of awkward silence or some shit can be created.<p>

I close the door behind me, quickly feeling around in my pockets for my keys when I hear her voice float out to me from the rolled down passenger window.

"What? No 'thank you'?" she asks, leaning across the seat to peer at me.

I stoop down and lean into that open window and sneer. "No. You're a shitty driver."

She frowns back and mutters "punk" lowly.

I scowl at that and turn to leave, not bothering to say bye or anything.

I'm across the street and at the sidewalk leading to my front door when I hear her car door open and her shouted "oi" behind my back.

She's hopping down from her over-sized SUV, a Suburban or a Yukon it looks like, when I glance over my shoulder. It was funny honestly, cause she's like half the height of that vehicle, but I keep a straight face as she turns to me, gesturing behind her at Facial Tattoos house.

"Want to help me scour the bushes?"

I quirk an eyebrow. "For what?"

Her lips move into a half smile. "My phone."

Oh, right. Her whole reason for heading out this way. My gaze moves from her to the house and back again. Her smile looks inviting, but I'm shaking my head slowly.

"Nah. I've got plans." I say, lifting my eyes to the sky and all those bright lights up above.

"Thought your plans involved me."

I'm slow to look over at her this time, but when I do, her face is oddly emotionless; no hint of teasing or playfulness found. I roll my eyes at her, somehow just knowing she's fucking with me.

"Heh. Yeah. I think I'll pass. I've had more than enough of you."

She laughs, the blankness of her earlier expression dropping completely, turning into one of roguishness.

"Whatever."

"Whatever yourself."

She turns back to her open car door briefly and fumbles around under her seat a second. When she turns to me again she's got a black flashlight, a cop issued looking one. She waves it back and forth in front of her, that mischievous look still on her face, like she's trying to get me to change my mind. I shake my head again.

"I'm headed in."

She nods. "Alright." She shuts her door and flashes me one more look over her shoulder before she starts towards Facial Tattoos house. I couldn't really read that look…

I lift my shoulders up in a shrug and unlock my front door, slipping my shoes off in the foyer.

* * *

><p>I guess I expected her to be gone when I came back out.<p>

She's not; or at least her car still sits out here.

I hadn't planned on being in there as long as I was. I'd just meant to change out my work clothes, grab my ipod and a Blue Moon, but I started fooling around with Usagi cause he was squealing as soon as I opened the door; out of water, out of food, and Kami it's like raising a damn kid cause he always goddamn needs _something._

I stand on my front steps a second, looking out at the house across the street and around her car, tryna see if she's still rummaging through the bushes and shit. I don't see her, though.

I shrug to myself and trudge around to the side of the house.

Along the wall, there're a few missing bricks on the side. I'd jimmied those out; makes a virtual ladder and so easy to ascend to the rooftop.

I pop the earbuds in my ears, stuff the beer bottle in my pocket and just shove the iPod in my mouth while I grab purchase onto the wall and get a good foothold. The climb up is quick and painless; I've done it a fuck-ton of times before.

I crawl over towards the middle of the house, settle down over the slight awning over my front door. I scoot till I'm at the edge of the roof and let my legs dangle over the ledge.

The iPod goes in my hoodie pocket and I open the Blue Moon and take a long swig. Abarai says it's a pussy of a beer, cause it's so fruity and citrus-y tasting. I like the shit, though.

I set the bottle aside and lean back, settling on my back. There's a slope to the roof here, so I'm not completely horizontal as I rest my weight behind me.

The sky isn't as clear as it was earlier. A few clouds litter the sky here and there; they don't totally obstruct the stars, though. I turn on the iPod without looking at it.

_Keep you in the dark_

_You know they all pretend_

_Keep you in the dark_

_And so it all began_

The Foo Fighters' _The Pretender_ rings out in my earbuds; starting out kinda slow, kinda low. And as I glance up, the door to the house across the street opens.

_The need you buried deep_

_The secrets that you keep are ever ready_

_Are you ready?_

__She's first to come from within the semi darkness of the house, closely followed by Facial Tattoos. 

_I'm finished making sense_

_Done pleading ignorance_

_That whole defense_

She slips something into her pocket as she steps off the front steps. A Phone, the phone.

_Spinning infinity, boy_

_The wheel is spinning me_

_It's never-ending, never-ending_

_Same old story_

He doesn't leave the doorway. A kind of sad look, a kind of pained expression is on his face.

_What if I say I'm not like the others?_

_What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays?_

_You're the pretender_

_What if I say I will never surrender?_

She walks to her car. She waves to him once she reaches her door and his pained look drops instantly, replaced with a more friendly, neutral look. He doesn't want her to see…

_What if I say I'm not like the others?_

_What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays?_

_You're the pretender_

_What if I say that I'll never surrender?_

Before she drives off she turns towards my house, eyes lingering.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: ** _Not sure why that took me so long to write :/ Once I got in the mood, I had fun writing it.

Thank you guys for the reviews, alerts and such. Hope this chapter was enjoyable.


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